A Wrench In The Gears Of Fate
by Stone Shield
Summary: Naruto "reborn" in modern Japan. No idea why. Makes life for himself regardless of whoever/whatever. "I don't believe in fate. My choices are mine, every step of the way. And if "Fate's" got a problem with that, then bring it on or back off." Naruto x Various Girls
1. Prologue, Getting the Ball Rolling

Naruto: A Wrench In The Gears Of Fate

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto or Ikkitousen.

Speech  
_Thought_

AN/ Updated.

* * *

Chapter 1: Prologue, Getting the Ball Rolling

"As you have all heard, Seito Academy will start opening its doors to a select few male students, and may in the near future become an openly co-ed institution." Low murmurs trickled through the classroom. And not just this one. Teachers were delivering similar announcements throughout the institution.

It wasn't exactly a new rumor. Ever since the accepted proposal, word had caught like wildfire amongst the exclusively female student body. Opinions mostly split between annoyance at the departure from the school's feminine purity or excited acceptance.

And that'd been _months_ ago. The board, regardless of a more progressive stance as of late, retained their high standards. Seito Academy was highly viewed as an institution, their curriculum including more than just the standard classes, also offering its students more traditional subjects of study. The art of the tea ceremony and classes that bridged the gulf between traditional and modern themes being just a few.

In all that time since the idea had been accepted though, they had only found a handful of male students across the area that fit their desired requirements in areas such as scholastics and traditional values. Even then, the young men still had to get through interviews and aptitude tests, all part of the rigorous screening process with Seito's student counselor.

What had been less than thirty individuals had been reduced…substantially…_very_ substantially…to six.

Seito would move with the times, but standards were standards regardless of gender.

Overall, they'd taken in four first years, one second year, and a third year, being certain to get at least one individual for each grade to get an idea of how the integration would take. It was just a matter of chance that a majority of their slim picking were in first year.

Those chosen were all greatly honored to be the first. For the most part. One individual in particular had been chosen but didn't have much of an opinion either way.

He had been in the middle of his first year in highschool at the time, just…going with the flow. His grades were above average, and though they didn't particularly reflect it, he just wasn't as motivated as most of his class to excel and outdo one another.

He would later learn that one of the reasons he had been selected by the elitist institution was through a ringing endorsement from one of his teachers. Though it didn't hurt his case that the scout had sat in on his class on the day of a rather dicey subject.

_The traditional samurai code of honor as it related to modern day life._

Each student had been asked their opinion with encouraged continuations towards those with more interesting answers. Like his own rather unorthodox one. Apparently, the Seito proxy had been intrigued by his outlook. Hitting upon the subject that honor systems currently conformed to the individual based on their predilections, he amended it with the concept that being bound by one's honor unto stagnancy in the face of what was right utterly defeated the purpose of a code meant to keep one on the "righteous path". From there, he'd touched on the subject of shinobi, how they served a person or ideal even at the cost of their honor and/or lives. He'd ended up giving a rousing confession towards an amalgamation of both. That he would abide by a code, but would leave it, to an extent, if it meant that he could do good. And that while samurai did choose to end their lives if dishonored, that he would instead prefer to stay alive, even if alone, to continue to do what good he could while he was alive. Not out of a need for redemption, but because it was right.

The proxy had been inspired by his heartfelt statement, and the strong morals of this individual.

In other words, giving his opinion on a matter had all but sealed his fate.

"So I want you all to welcome your new classmate," the teacher spoke to the 2nd year students. Craning her head to the door, "You can come in now." At her cue, the door opened and he stepped in, met with silence.

To be expected as he didn't overtly fit the bill for your average native unless you looked closer. The differences though got him attention wherever he went, often in thoughts of him being of foreign birth or of mixed parentage. For starters, he was easily six foot in height, and of a lean musculature. Not inordinately tall, but uncommon. Then there was his hair, a shocking mane of sunny blonde that fell in wild spikes. His skin was tan to the point of looking like a stereotypical American surfer. His eyes were a captivating sapphire blue that you could seemingly dive into. And then there were the marks on his cheeks. A trio of scars on either side.

Add that all together and you get a neon sign against a black background. He couldn't help but stand out.

Entering and closing the door behind him, he crossed the room to stand beside the teacher. Bowing, as was customary, "Ohayō gozaimasu, my name is Naruto Uzumaki. Please treat me well." Formality _really_ bored him, but, hey, roll with it. Coming up out of his bow, he gave his sincerest smile.

"Uzumaki-san was selected by the school board as one of the few young men to be offered a place in Seito." Placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, the teacher ushered him forward with a kind, if small, smile. "Please, take your seat. There's an open desk near the window," pointing to the sole vacant table and chair two desks back from the front, recently added to the room just a day prior. Thanking her, he strode swiftly past the still very silent girls to his seat, pulling it back as quietly as he could before sitting.

From there the whispers and murmurings began anew, accompanied by many a not-so-subtle glance in his direction.

If not for the fact that he could care less, he'd have long ago been of the opinion that being glaringly different kind of sucked. At least as far as trying to lead an uneventful life was concerned. He didn't know why he was here, now, let alone how, but he was going to milk the relative peace for all it was worth until it ran dry.

* * *

Inhaling deeply, he took in the rich, earthy aroma. Fresh, loamy soil, the scent of which consumed him for a brief time.

Releasing a content sigh, he leaned back on his knees.

It was nice here. The elevation and surrounding nature filtered out a lot of the impurities and pollution in the air that tended to annoy him. Tuning it out he could handle it, but when he thought about it the smell would be there in all its _glory_. But the academy was built off a mountain, surrounded by forest, relieving him with cleaner air.

So, again, it was nice.

Clubs were meant to "enrich" the lives of students. Unofficial classes that students could freely choose between, also meaning that as classes, whichever you chose, they were compulsory.

At first, he'd narrowed his options down to either the Tea Ceremony Club, out of memory to that sadistic snake Jonin, Anko, and the Gardening Club which let him be outside where any other club would not. He had given the Tea Ceremony Club a fair try, but the strict formality and composure of it all had rankled him to no end. It was quiet, the tea was good, but gods…all the rules about "proper posture" and everything.

It'd worn him down.

At least he'd left with a pretty decent ability to brew tea though.

The following week, he signed himself into the Gardening Club and started settling himself in.

"We're calling it a day, Uzumaki-kun." Thoughts broken, head swiveling, he sent the club's second in command an acknowledging smile. "Would you mind helping to put the tools away?"

"Sure thing, Shiryuu-senpai." Rocking back onto the balls of his feet, he stood up, rubbing his hands together to free any remaining dirt, before wiping what was left off against his apron. Everyone was responsible for what they took out of the storage shed, but there were oftentimes more items brought out than there were people to use them.

* * *

Chou-un Shiryuu was unofficially considered by many to be a master level swordswoman, hence why she was _not_ a member of the kendo club. Such would not even be considered training, physical or disciplinary, to her. She was the sole sword user of her caliber in the entire school, and would be forced to restrict herself terribly to make up for the shortcomings of whoever she might face in that club.

And so she had joined the Gardening Club, becoming its Vice President by the end of her first year at Seito Academy. It at least offered her the opportunity to train her mind and temperament, learning greater patience. Especially after the subsequent deaths of bonsai-san No.1 and Bonsai-san No.2 from apparent over-trimming. Bonsai-san No.3 had flourished since joining the club, and she was of the opinion that her patience had improved greatly in parallel.

* * *

It didn't take long to search the area they'd worked for the occasional forgotten tool and larger supplies. Naruto himself had retrieved two large bags of soil that'd been left unused, unnecessary leftovers or not yet used before time had run out.

"I appreciate your help, Uzumaki-kun."

"No problem, senpai," he excused with a relaxed shrug.

Chou-un noted the ease with which he'd lifted the bags, one in each hand. They were only a little over fifty pounds apiece, and she knew many a person who could lift far heavier, but she still recognized the way he so casually toted them, as if they were pillows. There'd been many an occurrence where he'd shown minor strength above average, but nothing spectacular enough to truly arouse her curiosity. His apparent strength was within normal limits of a hard working normal person, if at the higher end.

Now, if he had a sacred bead… That would be a different story entirely.

Seito had far fewer toushi than almost any other school. Though it did boast powerful ones.

She and Kanu were both considered forces to be wary of.

But, as of yet, there'd been no outward sign of him being a toushi.

* * *

Pricy and elite as Seito was, for the students who lived too far away to take the bus line, there was the option of a dorm. For the time being though, the young men, if they'd chosen to accept the proffered placement in Seito, would need to find adequate housing in the town at the base of the mountain.

Naruto himself had found an adequate flat. Nothing too small, just big enough for him. A living room, a small kitchen-slash-dining room, a bedroom and a bathroom. Nothing more than he'd needed, really. A loft apartment in a fair-sized two-story building. There were a total of four apartments, counting the owner's, and the old guy tended to leave everyone to their own devices so long as they didn't start anything. He hadn't met any of his neighbors, not officially, but he was in no hurry. What's more, he'd been talking to the old guy about taking the roof for himself. Nothing much, just some plants to add some green to all the gravel and tar-paper. He'd get to that eventually.

Coming by the money to pay for all of that though…apartment, tuition, and everything… That was something else.

After being accepted, Seito offered the small group of male students a discount on tuition as they were as much test subjects for a potentially co-ed school, as they were students.

But back to his finances…

First off, his mind was set up different from just about anyone else's in its ability to recollect. A side-effect of the seal on his navel keeping his mind safe was that he could actually revisit past memories; something he'd learned in the last year of his…previous life. Recall as in…every observed detail from his perspective at that moment.

It wasn't something he indulged in. A lot of his memories were repressed. With reason. Or, were too sad to visit casually. Even his happier memories had such an effect as being profoundly sad at the same time. He wasn't one to live in the past anyway.

Many times though it proved to be of benefit. Like when he'd discovered just how badly he'd need money to set himself up in this modern world. So it was that he'd come to write up, rewriting actually, the latest two books that Jiraiya had twisted his arm in assisting with. He'd been his proofreader and, in that last one, co-writer, though he found that last part rather embarrassing even still. And, lastly, the one book Jiraiya had written that had practically etched itself into his heart.

Tales of a Gutsy Shinobi.

At the very least that last one was in memory of Jiraiya.

It'd been a long process of transferring what he remembered to paper, but eventually he had the rough manuscripts. And from there, more half-truths.

"_They were written by my godfather, the man who took me in, before he died._" He remembered explaining to the publisher, a stocky looking man. "_He wrote that first one before I was born, and apparently my parents liked it enough to name me after the protagonist. But he never had it published. He never had any of them published._" He played it off as needing the money for school and living, but also with the desire to honor his deceased godfather through having his works published.

"_And these?_"

He remembered blushing up a storm, not entirely staged either. "_Those were, um, what he wrote after, while he was raising me._"

Icha Icha: Tactics

Icha Icha: Girls' Night Out

The stocky man had been doubtful at first, and yet…

He appraised Tales Of a Gutsy Shinobi as being somewhat idealistic, but a decent read. Something that irked Naruto, treasuring it as he did, while knowing that the book had received similar acknowledgement its first go-'round.

The two Icha Icha's on the other hand… He'd read them, then sent them to the head of their adult literature branch. He'd been practically dragged back into the publisher's office to sign over the publishing rights.

It had to be a curse.

There was no other way that the perverted sannin's ero-literature could be so popular while his more serious one was overlooked.

That, or both of the suits were complete perverts.

As a minor of almost sixteen at the time, even if one that had been legally allowed to live alone and handle his own affairs, he'd still been required to have a lawyer peruse and explain the paperwork before anything could be signed. It helped, a little. Within a month, books were printed and sold under Jiraiya's name by his godson's wishes.

Icha Icha hit the world like an ero-explosion.

…He wasn't proud of that.

And while Tales Of a Gutsy Shinobi didn't get anywhere near the acclaim, he was silently happy that it still got decent sales. He was glad of that, that Jiraiya's message was at least being heard.

For the year since then, he'd been quietly making a tidy sum for himself that he'd deftly hidden away. Some in banks, some invested, some in secret storage seals; one of the few kinds of seals he could actually make.

So long as he didn't go on a ramen bender…_very_ difficult…and lived within his means, he could live comfortably for quite some time without difficulty.

* * *

Sitting across from one another, Seito's two strongest were separated by a shin-high table, and, either in hand or atop said table, cups of tea steamed. Her own cup in hand, Seito's swordmistress sipped the well-brewed drink with deliberate slowness. Opposite Shiryuu, Kanu waited patiently.

Cup leaving her lips, but still aloft, "I have done as you asked and kept my eyes open."

Just a figure of speech.

Stormy grey-blue eyes rising from her own drink, "And what have you seen?"

"Of the new students, none that I have seen can be confirmed as toushi." The tan-skinned, long-haired young woman sighed in disappointment at the summation, but accepted it nonetheless. She herself had been observing the new students as well, and could not state different. Seito was a prominent highschool academically. On a less official level, in the world of fighters, it was in the top three with Nanyo and Kyosho. Not being as large as either of its competitors, it held its ground with quality trumping quantity. They had far fewer toushi than the other schools, but what they lacked in quantity they boasted in quality.

The names Kanu Unchou and Chou'un Shiryuu were known and regarded with caution among the other toushi.

"We did expect as much." All due respect to the quantity vs. quality argument, they were always on the lookout for new students that could help protect their leader, Ryuubi Gentoku. Ranked at the highest level of toushi, her actual ability was almost zero. Making her a prime target. "And the boys?"

"The same. No toushi." Though she would continue to observe Uzumaki. He displayed strength that exceeded the norm of the average person, if not by much, but there was an inkling feeling in her gut that said to keep watching him. He wasn't malicious, of which she had no doubt. There was just something profoundly…off…about him that eluded her.

Brow knitting just a tad, evidencing just mild thought on a particular matter, "I will reserve final judgment on Uzumaki-kun though."

Kanu paused in the pouring of a new cup of tea. "2nd year Uzumaki?"

Shiryuu nodded subtly. "Indeed. The gym class at the pool proved that he has more than an appropriate build for a fighter. But I have no other concrete proof, just a feeling." Gym class had been divided into girls and boys. The boys had run laps while the girls swam, and reversed that order on the next day. And while Seito was proud of a certain level of refinement, it didn't stop many of the girls from ogling the small group of males. They were all fairly fit and trim, but Naruto Uzumaki was at the head of the list.

Despite the widely held belief that men were pervs and women were innocent, there were more than a few hungry eyes on the boys during their time in gym class, and especially at the pool. Sad to say…several of the students had taken…pictures. Many of which circulated among the female student body like a secret wildfire. Not that Shiryuu had needed to see any of them, having been in the same class as Naruto. She'd seen the lithe, toned muscles he exhibited. He wasn't ripped like many young men tended to be, trying to gain more and more muscle mass in some unofficial penis measuring contest, but she had no doubts that he was all muscle.

"With no proof of him being a toushi…" Kanu frowned, thumb running around the edge of her cup as she stared into its green depths. "Do you believe he is a threat to Gentoku?"

"No." Kanu looked up in surprise at the rather quick and not to mention definitive answer. "I am unable to say for certain, but he has a certain…quality…that I cannot fathom. Uzumaki-kun is rather…accommodating." Perhaps a better choice of words towards his character than "soft" or "unmotivated." Lazy was a bit strong. So far, he just tended to avoid conflict, on any level.

If he was a toushi though…

Ryuubi was Kanu's greatest priority, no matter how you looked at it. She would sacrifice life and limb protecting her leader. "We both understand how beneficial another toushi would be." Shiryuu nodded. "Let us hope that the gods are with us."

AN/ With some editing help thanks to Vandenbz.


	2. Day To Day

Naruto: A Wrench In The Gears Of Fate

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Ikkitousen.

Speech  
_Thought_  
**Demonic or Pissed-Off Speech**

* * *

Chapter 2: Day To Day

Humming to himself, nothing in particular, he pulled his key out of the lock and walked through the door into the apartment building he resided in. It was a simple three-story building, brick walls, nothing fancy, but solid and comfy all the same. The first floor was mostly occupied by the landlord's apartment, and outside of that was a hallway that housed stairs that ran through the very center of the building up to each floor. Each floor housed two loft apartments on either side of the stairwell. On that bottom floor, there were two pairs of washers and driers for the residents. Near the door were a series of mailboxes for the tenants.

Closing the door behind him, he checked his mail before shuffling up the stairs.

1st Floor…

2nd Floor…

Ding, ding…3rd Floor. Housewares, kitchen supplies, former shinobi.

Much the same as below, he keyed the locks on his door before stepping in and securing it behind him. With the building having a good lock on the main door, most of the apartments didn't have excessive security, but he liked his privacy. Enough so that he had a pair of deadbolts added to the door, the first a foot and a half over the knob, and the second the same distance below the knob. But that was mostly for show. While they both reinforced the structure, he also had a "locking" seal in place that he activated when he left for any real amount of time, like during school. It was keyed to his chakra, so it wasn't a bothersome addition. All that was necessary was a swipe of a chakra-laced finger over the frame and it would lock or unlock as he needed.

It'd been one of the few seals he'd learned in his time with the old perv. Time had given him the chance to reflect on his earlier disinterest. The only reason he knew the ones he did was out of necessity. The locking seal was for personal security given the checkered past of his apartment building being occasionally vandalized. And the few others, less than a dozen total, had reasons just as practical.

And without a teacher or some written text, either from his own time period, he was screwed for ever learning any more.

Sighing, he relocked the door.

There wasn't much to the apartment. It was really just a large room with an adjacent bathroom. Through the door, you stepped right off the kitchen and into the living room area. To the direct left of that was everything kitchen related, and, on the right, passing through the living room, was his bed against the far wall, a set of drawers for clothes, and a door leading to his bathroom. He had far less tech and just random stuff than the average person had, but there were more plants around the apartment, some hanging from the ceiling.

Hey, grow up in a place called "Village Hidden in the Leaves" and something was bound to happen as a result.

Kicking his shoes off, he walked over to the couch, dropping his bag as he went. Flopping down on the trusty piece of furniture, he turned around fitfully before finding just the right position.

Just a short siesta, then he'd get around to throwing something together for dinner, and cracking open his books.

He wasn't down for half an hour when his stomach started to growl. His stomach apparently wasn't all that happy with having to wait.

Sitting up, he let out a deep breath before rolling to his feet. The fading sunlight had all but disappeared, leaving a nice, soft dimness to the apartment. Sadly, he had to ruin it by flipping on a few lights. Walking across to each of the windows, he closed the blinds of each.

Taking one last look around, satisfied, he brought his left hand up into a half-ram seal. A moment later, the air shimmered, and several more Narutos appeared around the apartment. One had picked up the backpack and was pulling out the textbooks and papers. Another was reading the newspaper. A third was sleeping on his bed. And the fourth joined him in the area designated as the kitchen.

"I'm thinking-"

"We ran out of the fish already."

"Dang. How about that special kimchi?"

The clone dug around in the refrigerator before retrieving a jar. Judging it critically, "Enough for supper, I guess." Twisting off the lid and taking a whiff, the clone cringed, tears coming to its eyes. "Yeah, still good," before putting the top back on. "Man, that stuff's got some kick to it."

"Sweet. Add in some chicken, and that'll be dinner and what's left of it can be cut up and added to lunch."

"Yosh," tossing the master copy the jar before diving back into the fridge for said poultry. Plopping the soon to be empty jar down on the island that was his kitchen work surface slash occasional table, he started to pull out the appropriate spices for the chicken.

"Guess she's not joining us for supper," he mused aloud. The great thing about his clones, he could speak aloud and carry out a branching train of thought with, er, himself.

The clone with the newspaper flipped to a new page, gracing the original with a shrug. "We'll set out a plate anyway."

The person in question was… Well, she was really complicated. It all stemmed from his early days back in the land of the living. He'd been trekking through southern China at the time…

Flashback

_With a definitive 'THWACK!' and a muted grunt of pain, a young woman dressed in scanty camouflage shorts and a tank top impacted into the side of a tree before crumpling to the ground. Copper flavored her mouth, thankfully from her broken lip as otherwise might mean more dire damage to her body. Her dark hair, having slipped from the confines of her lost beret during the fight, fell across her face._

_Trying to regain her footing proved impossible as her legs collapsed beneath her just as quickly._

_There really was no chance. Her rifle, her weapons, gone, and now unable to even stand…death was all but assured. Even from the start, she had known that, after seeing how he had outclassed her with his speed, his strength, and his resilience. She'd only ever landed the one blow on him, a glancing kick to the side of his head, and not only did it barely faze him, but the dull throbbing in her leg told her that she was the one to come off it the worst._

_Her orders had been to secure the forest surrounding the clandestine rebel encampment. Her and several others. So it was that, seeing an intruder, albeit a civilian from appearances, she had attempted just that. Only to end up in her current state… Soundly thrashed._

_A shadow blocked out the light, and, gaze wobbling just a little from fatigue, she set her expression, ready to meet this end with dignity._

_What she hadn't expected was the sharp staccato of gunfire. The teen looked incredibly shocked, dropping to his knees before falling flat. Without him blocking the way, she saw a handful of the other senior rebel soldiers behind him at the edge of the battered clearing, assault rifles raised._

_Joint emotions relief and shame flooded into her. The first at the prospect of survival, the second at having needed rescue._

"_Look like you've had a rough time of it, girlie," the elder male intoned, scoffing at her bedraggled state._

"_Should we call for extraction?"_

_The first man paused, silent, before looking her over in a way that made her want to scrub herself with sandpaper. "No…Not yet. Whatta'ya think?"_

_His friend looked at her before smirking. "I think we didn't get here in time," he proposed suggestively. A moment later, he dropped his pants._

_Her blood ran cold._

_Death was one thing, but what they were planning…_

"_That hurt."_

'_THK.' One of the rebels dropped, darkness immediately taking hold. A fist clenching where his head had just been._

_Freaking out, the remaining soldier tried to bring his rifle around, but his state of dropped trousers left him incapable of moving fast enough. He'd not even gotten the time to see their assailant before it happened. The resounding kick to his torso sent him flying horizontally across the earth and into a tree, likely breaking most if not all of his ribs, not to mention what it'd done to his back._

_Deer in the headlights, she watched a dead man standing over her, seemingly not bothered in the slightest by the many __holes__ in his chest._

"_Rapists," he spat. "Only one way to deal with them," and firmly stomped both unconscious men in their most prized areas, all but pulverizing the organs between their legs. Sneering, he gave a curt nod at his handiwork before returning his attention back on the girl._

_Dropping into a crouch, he regarded her with that same lazy, almost curious smile that he'd been wearing when she'd first spotted him in the first place, the same smile he'd been wearing when they fought, firmly affixed across his face._

_She didn't fear much. The conditioning and training that she and the others had been put through had left them fairly resistant to its instinctive reactions. But having been so soundly defeated, if not from the absolutely blinding speed with which his hand shot out, she flinched._

_Only to find herself on the receiving end of him ruffling her hair._

"_Heh, you're pretty good, but you need to work on your stealth a lot more before taking on me," he offered cheerily. He'd only laughed harder at her owlish eyes when he'd picked her up by the back of her shirt collar. Surprised that it held, too. "C'mon, there's a clinic just in town. I'll drop you off there," promptly slinging her over his shoulder._

Flashback End

He never felt particularly bad about what he'd dealt those two men. It had never been his way to kill someone unless absolutely necessary. He could still count on one hand the people he'd done in. In his book, punishment was based on a sliding scale. He'd let go of the attempted murder of his self, given that it didn't work, but then they had to cross the line. And, in that book of his, by attempting what they had they'd stepped into the land of "zero tolerance."

He hadn't killed them. Scum, they were, but they weren't that special.

No, in a case like that, he wanted them to remember what they planned to do and how they'd been "rewarded" for the rest of their lives.

He guaranteed that if the doctors ever returned the facsimile of a dick and testicles to either, that they'd think about their mistake every time they took a piss. Sex, on the other hand, would never be in their reach ever again.

His idea of justice… Poetic.

He'd judged from the way she took his word as gospel, that it was her respect for him that had her following his every step afterward. Unknown to him even presently, respect and admiration that turned into unspoken devotion as time passed and she observed even more about this walking paradox, her master, Naruto Uzumaki.

He hadn't really had much choice in the matter of explaining himself… Eventually.

He'd made her work for that trust for almost a half-year.

Not that even she had the full story. He explained a handful of his "talents", but nothing about his real background or the actual oceanic depth of just what he was.

Still, it was more trust than he'd shown anyone else so far.

While he was trying the "high school experience", Kooky, as he'd come to teasingly refer to her at times, preferred to spend her time training, sometimes being gone for days before returning looking like something Death itself wouldn't even accept. Working at times as a bodyguard or bouncer as the job required. Since she'd attached herself to his nonexistent entourage he'd proudly admit she'd become strong. Foregoing ever taking up a gun again, outside of hand to hand combat, she'd instead become rather proficient in fighting using wire with a weighted end. She could fling that weight with the merest twitch of her hand, and either have it knock your block off or come to a stop a matter of centimeters before it could make contact.

Hell, the only times she relaxed were when she was unconscious recovering from the training, or when he actually gave her a stern suggestion to take it easy for a while.

He wouldn't push school on her. The way he heard it from her, she and the rest of her "group" had been trained at a young age by the rebels to be compliant and obey. To be fair, it wasn't much different than how he and the kids back in Konoha had been trained, with exception to skill. So, he left her to make her own choices.

He attended because of Jiraiya's influence, and his own deep-seated survivalist nature. He was never the most patient person, but he'd learned the value of knowing the world around you in his time with the pervy sage. It was the opportunity to understand this "new" age, the people in it, and the generation that he'd become a part of.

But, back to his incredibly loyal compatriot…

Kakouen Myosai

His next-door neighbor, courtesy of his own private financial support. She had been vocally reluctant in taking his money, but had eventually caved. The lofts weren't terribly expensive, and he could throw a little bank around for people in his care. As far as the owner knew, they were just neighbors turned friends. That was all they deemed he needed to know.

Still, she usually joined him for breakfast and evening meals on his school days. That she wasn't stoically limping through the door by now meant she was likely still at it. Another normal habit of hers.

But, he couldn't argue that given his own training predilections.

Shaking his head, he started working on dinner alongside his clone.

* * *

(The End of The 1st Week at Seito)

Naruto had always been fast at adapting. In battle or otherwise. By the end of his first week at the new institution, he'd all but gotten into the swing of how the school operated. He greatly appreciated the verdant landscape surrounding the school. It was a lot more likeable than his last school. It reminded him more of the old days, not necessarily better days, but of more familiar climes from way back.

Vegetation that he was currently relishing in.

"Uzumaki-kun, may we speak with you?" Taking a break from club activities, he was sitting on the grass, cooling down with a bottle of water.

"Sure, senpai. What d'ya need?" he asked lazily with the trademark grin of his that'd become legendary amongst the female students. His words were polite, but relaxed.

Kneeling to the side, she was joined by the young woman who'd been standing next to her. A tall, eighteen or nineteen year old…woman. No one in their right mind would call her a girl, physically mature as she was. His best guess, she was about a few inches shorter than himself. She had a generous figure, added onto by clear signs of physical training. Her eyes were of a dull, brushed steel color, violaceous hair that went down to her heels, and a face that spoke of beauty and fierceness. The strong tanned nature of her skin and the rather revealing school uniform she wore all gave her a rather exotic appearance. "This is Kanu Unchou, 3rd Year student."

"Senpai," nodding at the newly introduced young woman.

"Uzumaki-kun, we heard from another student of an interesting necklace that you wore," Kanu informed, her voice smoky and smooth. "We were hoping to see it for ourselves."

Blinking at the unexpected line of inquiry, he gave it a short moment's thought before shrugging. "Um, sure, I guess." He had heard of toushi and their beads, even seeing many, but was surprised to think someone would make some kind of connection between him and them. This wasn't a matter of hiding anything; it was about straightening out what he _wasn't_. Shrugging, he thumbed the collar of the work shirt he wore for club activities. It was a worn orange and grey shirt, with an orange body and orange sleeves down to his mid-forearm. (Think baseball jersey shirt.) Finger hooking the necklace in question, he pulled it out and into view.

Depending on your outlook on such things, it could be anything from unremarkable to utterly beautiful. On a worn cord, six blood red magatama hung suspended. Their peerless surfaces and coloring were only enriched by a smoky discoloration.

It could've been the low-hanging sun, but Kanu would attest that the beads had a subtle luminescence to them.

"I've not seen one like it before," Shiryuu resumed for Kanu. "May I ask where you got it?"

Blue eyes shifting between the two attractive young women giving him the first degree, "Not much to tell, really," shrugging nonchalantly. "My godfather gave it to me," he answered simply. A mistruth, mostly, but one that no one could really call him on. Who could prove otherwise? And, in all honesty, if there was actually someone who could, then he'd have a lot more to worry about than copping up to a lie. He didn't like the implications following that particular trail of thought.

It wasn't as detailed an explanation as either had hoped it would be. Nor did it involve key words like "toushi" or "fighting". Neither believed for a second that the necklace was normal though. Even with a short conversation like this, Kanu began to understand Shiryuu's claim towards Uzumaki being "odd".

"If that's all, senpai, I think I'd better get back to work," pushing himself out of his cross-legged position to fully upright in one fluid motion. Giving a small incline of his head to both, "Shiryuu-senpai, Kanu-senpai."

Watching him leave, Kanu was of mixed thoughts. Despite the attempts, nothing seemed to bear fruit in any conclusive way. Forehead creasing, "I'll test him myself."

Shiryuu smiled to herself. "You're not going to go overboard, are you?"

No more patient words. She would question him once more, but in the manner of a fighter.

* * *

The Following Saturday:

Besides the numbers crammed onto the bus, travelling to Tokyo was uneventful. Irritatingly unpleasant often enough, but almost always uneventful. Though there were the occasional dipsticks. Punks who liked to puff out their chests and act big.

In truth, he liked them.

When it was required, he didn't feel bad at all for smacking them around.

It was that time of the month again. Every month around this time, the first Saturday, he would head in to the publisher's office to get the latest check for the sales of Jiraiya's books. That, in turn, would be taken directly to the bank where he would withdraw a portion in cash to keep on hand or hidden, while the rest was saved or passed on to an investor.

Really, you'd be surprised the respect for the proper management of money one gets when they have to milk a puny stipend for prolonged periods of time.

* * *

Coming out of the bank, back into the hustle and bustle, he made for the nearest source of food. He'd had a light breakfast earlier which had started to prove insufficient when, depositing his check, the woman behind the window actually looked around wide-eyed, asking if someone had brought their dog into the bank.

Given the way his stomach was starting to protest, he wasn't feeling too picky at the moment.

* * *

Within a few minutes he was left frowning, standing before a decent-sized café. Just…not one he would normally prefer. His stomach growled at him, suggesting he be a man and go inside already. Hungry!

Still…karaoke.

He didn't mind singing, but you hear someone really drunk sing really badly, and it kind of wears. Last time he'd gone to one for an early dinner after school, months ago. He'd dined to the sound of a three-hundred pound man singing some song about milkshakes. (Yes, it is Milkshake by Kelis) He hadn't stayed much longer.

Just…three-quarters of the time they were always dens of wrongness. The other infrequent quarter, he was rewarded with the sight of friends making fools of themselves just for the heck of it.

Made him wonder what it would've been like to have lived a full life like everyone else in this place. No chakra. No shinobi.

On the other hand…he'd done and seen things that most people could never dream of.

Sulking, he gave in and pushed through the doors.

The karaoke café was portioned out. There were a few tables in the front for patrons who just wanted to listen to music and get a quick bite, but also private rooms dedicated to parties and private functions.

* * *

"A triple order of yakitori, one order of dango, and tea."

The guy behind the register gave him a look of surprise given the size of the order, but moved past that soon enough to punch in his order. "That'll just be a few minutes. Would you like a private room?"

(No idea what the price _should_ be, so throwing a calculated guess out there.)

"No. Here's fine."

"Very well, then it'll be twelve-hundred yen." Slipping his wallet out and discreetly withdrawing the necessary cash, he handed over the bills. "Thank you, sir. If you want, the jukebox is on the house to paying customers."

"I'm good, thanks." Jeez, that guy's aura felt…slimy. Taking a seat at one of the tables, he sat back and let his mind wander.

Within four minutes, he was munching on his meal. A delightfully _light snack_…for him.

Amazing how filling an empty stomach drastically changed one's mood. As the skewers went, one after the other, his background agitation for bad karaoke singing started to fade away. It didn't hurt that there weren't that many people here at the moment.

The door opened, multiple voices bouncing in.

Speak of the devil.

* * *

AN/ Kind of rushed. I've got loads written up, still not published for this. (Really in the flow). This was about sixteen or so pages before I cut it in half at this point. Hope to have the next piece out sometime this week, if not too busy. Don't know how it reads. Wrote lots in the last few hours, and not sure if I'm clear-headed enough to catch everything. Enjoy...and if you don't well, nobody's forcing you to read it.


	3. Little Conqueror, eh?

Naruto: A Wrench In The Gears Of Fate

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto or Ikkitousen.

_Thought_  
Speech

* * *

Chapter 3: Little Conqueror, Eh?

Down the street from the Karaoke Café, a few minutes ago:

"_Maybe I should've eaten before I left,_" she thought to herself, her low energy even making her thoughts sound sluggish. "_So…hungry_." For the most part, she was completely ignorant of the pair of young men, easily college age, hovering around her as she walked. She was a tempting target for all the local vultures, dressed in a simple sundress that hugged her curvy frame. Oblivious, she kept on walking as her mind struggled against her own hunger, still unaware of them coming back for more.

"Wanna get a coffee?" asked the shaggy headed, goatee-chinned one, practically in her face.

Nothing.

"Say, have you eaten lunch yet?" One word. Forget the question, all she'd heard was "lunch" in the form of a question. That one word and she came to an immediate stop.

Far off eyes glimmered with returned vigor.

"We were gonna go for lunch," goatee explained, betting on a hunch, slapping on what he hoped was a good-natured smile. "Wanna go with us?"

The afro-head of the pair took it from there. "Our treat."

Hakufu beamed, eyes shining happily. "Really?! You'll treat me?!" bouncing a little on the spot at the prospect of food. And, even better, it was free! Free food was the best of all!

She wasn't attentive enough to catch both their eyes focusing on her chest as she did so.

"_Score,_" they both thought.

* * *

Nearby, watching the ongoing ensnaring of the too trusting girl, a tanned young woman, roughly seventeen years of age, watched, speculating. There was no way this was her future opponent? She was just so…so…

Stupid.

* * *

Inside the Karaoke Café, Now:

"Ka-ra-o-ke?"

Goatee was literally draped against her by this point, to her continuing obliviousness. "Sure. Even if you don't sing, you can still order food here."

"Oh, well that's great!"

The two shared excited smirks over her head. "Yeah, great," afro agreed.

* * *

Subtly, his eyes narrowed over his first stick of dango. She couldn't be that oblivious, could she?

Naruto readily noticed the looks between the two and the man at the counter who'd taken his lunch order. And he didn't like it.

When the cashier followed after, a short distance behind them, he got up from his seat with practiced silence and observed from around the corner. The two directed the girl into one of the private karaoke rooms, closing the door behind them. Only, the second it closed, the cashier guy threw a sign over the knob. Even with a bad angle he still made out "CLOSED FOR CLEANING" in all caps. The weasel-like snicker the man had in doing so sealed his fate.

* * *

"Is there anything else I can get you, sir?" Coming back from the private rooms section, he immediately found the tall, spiky-haired patron waiting at the register. "Would you like to place another-" Smelling burnt plastic, he looked up to the camera in the corner where it smoked slightly. "What happened t-"

GRAB!

WHAM!

Reaching over, he'd snagged the slightly older man by the top of his oily-haired head and brought it down hard onto the counter.

"Gah! Wha' was tha' f-" Most anyone else would be howling in pain or for help, but the blow to the head had left him too fuzzy in the noggin to think that clearly. Kind of difficult to think things through with a brain booboo.

WHAM!

A second shot and he was hanging over the counter, groaning.

Thinking it over…he'd call an ambulance when he left. Just in case he gave the bastard a concussion.

"Nice." Going rigid, he turned around slowly, almost as if his joints had started to rust. Please, oh beautiful lady luck, let it not be a witness. He could probably save his ass with a good enough explanation, but he really didn't need that kind of trouble. Clapping eyes on his supposed eye witness, he was surprised that she seemed to be taking his little act of violence…very calmly.

She was in an unrecognizable school uniform. On a Saturday? Really? A grey jumper over a white button-down. Around her wrists and ankles, he recognized right off the bat, were some sizable weight bands. Wow, that took him back. His mind suddenly flashed back to someone he'd once known.

Green spandex.

Shiny smile.

Bowl cut.

…Cue minor bout of nausea.

Thankfully, aside from the weights, he saw no other connection…to that horror. She was shorter than him, but, then, who wasn't? Most of the people he'd met were under five-eight. She had tanned skin, reminding him of Shiryuu's friend, Kanu, but her chin-length hair was black, spiky and unruly as it came down.

Hands on her hips, "Hey, you see a bubble-headed girl being towed around by a couple creeps?"

"Um, yes?"

* * *

"Oooooh, so many choices…" Hakufu drooled as she looked over the menu, repeatedly as she wanted to choose the perfect food. She wouldn't be a pig and ask for _everything_, so she had to be certain to pick just the right items.

Ironically, it was probably one of the few times she really focused on anything.

The menu was robbed of her undivided attention, when, on either side of her, they grabbed her arms. "Whatcha doin'?"

Goatee smirked at her. "I was thinking we could get a workout before eating."

Hakufu blinked, utterly confused. "Workout?" But how? The room was small and there were no weights or equipment…and the menu was right in front of her…

"Don't play games, you know what we mean," afro chided. His arm over her shoulder slipped lower. "We mean _this_." Going right under the fabric of her dress to wrap his fingers around her breast.

"But…lunch?"

KN-K, KN-K!

"We're busy, come back later!" goatee almost snarled.

The knob twisted, but the door remained locked and in place.

For three more seconds.

With a slight "POP!" the mechanism within the knob snapped, and the door opened. Against the light of the hall stood an amorphous silhouette, revealed to be two people as eyes adjusted.

"Hey, get lost!" afro snapped.

"Yeah, this is a private party!"

Hakufu was really confused. A little uncomfortable at all this strangeness. Oh, and she was still hungry!

Faster than the two punks could see, an arm reached across and snared the blonde girl by the wrist, pulling her insistently out of their grasps. Smiling at the spikey-haired girl still in the doorway, eyes closed to hide the violence shining in them, he shoved a very confused, and still very hungry, Hakufu toward her. "I'll be right out. Just have to _talk_ with these young men."

The door closed behind him.

Just over ten seconds later all Hell broke loose within the enclosed space.

"DON'T RUN! DON'T RUN!"

Door wrenching open, afro actually got his foot out into the hallway, "AND WHERE D'YOU THINK YOU'RE GOIN'?" before he was yanked back into the room looking wholly terrified, the door closing firmly behind him.

Ukitsu was sure she would never forget the absolute terror written across his face. And, the situation being what it was, she couldn't say she didn't find it amusing.

Girlish screams and whimpers could still be heard even through the insulated walls of the room, letting everyone know exactly what was going on within.

Eventually, after about a minute, the door opened once more, all quiet within the room. Staggering out, the two youths came to a stumbling stop in front of Hakufu. Alive, but for all appearances looking like they'd been mauled by a large animal of some sort.

"W're srry," goatee slurred around a face full of swelling and bruises.

Afro nodded painfully, "Yeah, tho thorry," lisping around a busted lip.

Hakufu was still pretty lost. "Uh, sure?" Okay, she was thoroughly lost.

"Good." The two battered men fell like puppets minus their strings, revealing that the only things keeping them on their feet had been a hand on either one's collar, holding them upright. Smiling cheerily, the spikey-haired blonde leaned imperiously over them, hands on his hips. And though he smiled, it was one absolutely devoid of warmth. It was like a damn shinigami was leering sadistically down at them. "I trust you both have learned to be more respectful of women from now on?"

In spite of their obvious pain, both shrunk under his gaze, nodding like their lives depended on it. Not a far cry from the truth either. "Ye', thir!"

Spinning on heel, he rounded on the two girls still watching. One confused, one highly amused. One guess as to which was which.

"Ladies, I think we should leave before we get in any more trouble."

* * *

The moment they exited the doors, they beat a hasty retreat to put as much distance between them and the tossed café as they could. Soon enough though, both he and the tanned girl came to a stop, halfway across a bridge over a small waterway on the edge of town, and rounded on the oblivious, and now hungrily complaining girl.

"I'd heard you were stupid, but not this stupid. What were you thinking back there?" the dark-haired girl asked, trying to grasp how someone could actually be that dense.

"Hey! Don't you know it's rude to call people stupid?!" she steamed, lips curled into a rebellious pout. "Everyone knows that when a guy offers you dinner you have to go with him," she rattled off matter-of-factly. Both Naruto and the girl shared a look before the jumper-wearing girl took the lead to burst her bubble.

"No. No, we don't. Normally," Ukitsu countered bluntly, trying not to outright call her an idiot at the same time. To the side, Naruto palmed his face.

"Really?"

Naruto was a little less kind. Bopping her none too gently on the head, "You really are stupid." The blonde girl's face shriveled up into a grimace, incensed by his choice of adjectives.

"Don't call me stupid, stupid!" she growled.

"I call it as I see it, stupid."

"That's a stupid answer."

"You would know."

The dark-haired girl snickered to herself at the byplay, "You gotta be more careful than that. What were you thinking anyway?"

The blonde girl stared back dully. "That I was hungry?" At their unbelieving expressions, she rambled on. "Anyway, where're we going? I was on a broken heart healing trip, so I'm kinda busy. Actually, I _still_ need to get something to eat. SO hungry!"

The girl in the grey jumper spared her an honest, curious glance. "Broken heart?"

"I was utterly defeated in my last battle." Wearing a pained smile, she looked down. "It was a shameful experience. Wait…that's not it." She shook her head. "At some point, I just didn't feel like myself anymore, and I didn't like it."

To the side, Naruto continued to listen in. Wow. It'd been a long time since losing a simple fight meant that much to him. It was kinda naïve, but it was her choice to handle it as such. At the same time, he noted the way she spoke.

"Well, your brain may not remember, but your body seems to."

"Huh?" Now it was Naruto's turn to snicker.

The conversation broke off there though as Hakufu's wandering attention sought out the sounds of conflict on the concrete below the bridge. It was a street scuffle, one guy against about eleven or twelve others. Even from here, he could see those magatama beads glint in the sun.

"And there she goes," Naruto sighed as the blonde girl ran back to the steps at the edge of the bridge, bee-lining for the fight. Running a hand through his hair, "Does she have the ADHD or something?"

"You got this?"

Cocking a blue eye at the girl, "Hm?"

She grinned. "Are you gonna make sure she doesn't do anything stupid…stupider?"

He groaned, but nodded. "Yeah. What? You don't think I'll take advantage of her?"

She smirked…before finally snickering. "Sure, yeah. It's practically written on your face." Bringing up a finger she traced imaginary lettering in the air over his forehead. "Good Guy."

"Why does that sound like an insult? Phe, whatever. Naruto," offering his trademark grin, if a relaxed one.

Grinning back, "Ukitsu. Look after the dumby, okay, Good Guy?" turning and continuing down the bridge, and leaving him to look after the mess that was blondie.

Still… Good Guy? Oh, hell no. That'd better not stick. He was _done_ with nicknames. Shaking his head, he turned back to watch the fight, leaning against the bridge railing. "Aw…someone's gonna sleep well tonight."

* * *

It was just past seven, night overtaking the world, when he reached the address the now named girl, Hakufu Sonsaku, had given him. Said bubbly blonde had all but tuckered herself out. She'd bugged him for the last half-hour about giving her a piggyback ride, but he'd just flicked her on the forehead every time it got too annoying. "Home~" she singsonged lightly, before glaring his way. "No thanks to selfish jerks that don't help ladies in need."

"I'm just here to see you don't get in any more trouble," he countered. He liked her spirit, from what he'd witnessed during her little fight, but she was such a child!

"I haven't got any idea where she could be, aunt Goei," could be heard from inside the house, the voice of a ranting teenager. "I looked everywhere! Even school!" And it was a nice house, too. Just on the edge of town, with trees enclosing it. Those little factors by themselves made him like it. Big, but not exactly what you'd call opulent. Above average but with class and style, that was the way he'd describe the home. It was obvious that Hakufu's family was well off.

"Uhoh! That's Koukin!" she identified for him, not that that cleared anything up at all. "He sounds really mad about something."

Not even sparing her a glare, "_Yeah, I wonder why that'd be?_"

A much more hushed voice answered back, obviously trying to keep whoever it was with the raised voice from having a panic attack. "Don't worry. I'm sure she'll turn up when we least expect it."

Walking up the path, he stopped at the main door before giving it a hearty series of knocks, absentmindedly smacking Hakufu's wrist for reaching for the knob. The back and forth inside immediately stopped, followed by flurried steps in their direction. The door all but flew open, the concerned face of a young man in his late teens illuminated by the lights within.

"Hakufu?!" a question on reflex, as he hadn't even opened the door entirely before the question left his lips. By the time he'd finished that blurted question, he'd actually taken in the scene on the doorstep. His cousin and an unknown guy roughly his own age, not much more at the time given his recent worrying and the brief moment he'd spent in registering it all.

Coming along more sedately behind him, stepping into the light, was a woman in her mid-thirties adorned in a traditional kimono. "You see, Koukin dear. I told you "when we least expected it". Oh, and she's even brought a handsome young man with her."

Naruto didn't know what all to make of this, but he took it like a champ. "Sorry to come so late, but…" he lifted up Hakufu by the back of the heavy button-down shirt she'd acquired from that street fighter, whatever his name was. She squawked indignantly at him, but he just ignored her. "Is this yours?"

"Putmedown!Putmedown!Putmedown!...Oh, so hungry…Putmedown!Putmedown!"

The so-named Koukin just sighed, shoulders slumping in embarrassment while the woman in back brought a fan up to her lips, hiding a demure smile, but not the polite laughter.

* * *

Given the atmosphere of the home, he shouldn't have been surprised that he'd been asked to stay for dinner.

Hakufu on the other hand was busy tucking in to her food.

"Oh my, what a shameless daughter I have," her mother, Goei, openly teased with equally little shame.

"I don't think she had anything to eat today, ma'am," Naruto provided from where he sat across the dinner table. It was about five foot in length and three feet wide, and though it was simplistic in style, it was just as beautiful as the rest of the house. At the other end of the table was the hostess, the two teens on either side on its long ends. "Of course, I'm glad I didn't wait." He shook his head. "Punks."

Goei sent a coy smirk his way, maintaining the presence of the ever poised and perfect Japanese woman. "It's good to know that there are still some young men in the world that know how to treat women," she giggled suggestively. "Especially when it comes to helping out my idiot daughter."

Scowling briefly, "I thought they were just trying to offer me lunch," Hakufu defended, but was readily and easily ignored.

"So tell me, Naruto-kun," everyone present noticing the familiarity in her tone, "Are you a student at Nanyo as well?"

Koukin nodded, embracing the change to a far more normal conversation. "Come to think of it, I've never seen you around before."

Naruto shook his head before draining his mug of tea. Putting the empty cup back on the table, "Actually, I go to Seito Academy."

Goei looked intrigued and patient enough to wait out an answer. It was Koukin who was more willing to call out an error when he saw one. "That's…not a very good lie."

Naruto blinked, the face of indifference. "What lie? I'm a student at Seito." Holding his mug out, "More tea, please?" Smiling demurely, Goei stood back up to her feet and circled the table with the teapot.

"Thank you," he praised gratefully as she refilled his cup, that same suggestive smile across her lips as her dusky gaze burned into him. He fared well in hiding his blush at the attention. It was when she winked at him that his cheeks colored a little. Fortunately, it faded by the time she finished filling his cup. But the damage was done, Goei giggling at his expense, winking at him.

"But it's an all-girls school," Koukin countered, trying to understand what the blonde was trying to say.

"Ah, I see." Catching on to the issue, Naruto explained further. "Seito is testing out the idea of going coed. So a handful of boys were selected to attend, yours truly included."

* * *

As the evening wrapped up…

Hakufu yawned loudly, stretching. "G'night, Na-chan. Thanks for walking me home." Sleepy and replete, she shuffled off to her bedroom.

"Night, "little conqueror"." For the fourth time that night, he burst into hearty laughter over this same topic. Really, a nickname like that? How could he not laugh? Especially when it was tied to someone like that?

Koukin shook his head, resolved that he would rather avoid further headaches and call it a night. "I suppose I should get to bed as well. Goodnight, Naruto-san. Goodnight, Aunt Goei," giving them both a polite bow of his head before standing and leaving the room.

"And now that the children have gone to bed…" Goei hinted, scooting closer to the handsome blonde, "What shall we do?"

"Miss Sonsaku…Goei…are you flirting with me?" he queried, playing the innocent.

"Ufufufu, dear boy, if you don't already know, then I won't tell you."

Grinning, his face took on that feral, lupine grin that he'd been known for. Leaning over, "Oh, Goei, what can I say?" he breathed suggestively, dropping the last name. "I could say that I've never met anyone with stamina anywhere close to mine own. I could even say that I know several massage techniques. I could say that you are quite beautiful, and that I would love to memorize your every curve." By this point, the flirtatious Sonsaku was blushing up a storm. "Or, I could tell you that it's late and that I need to get going." The smirk he wore was sinful, as he leaned back and rocked off his knees and onto his feet.

The effect was the same as holding the buffet door open to a starving individual, giving them the chance to see, and smell, and anticipate…only to slam it right in their face.

"_That…But that's so unfair!_" the currently _very_ flustered milf mentally bawled, stricken. Completely unaware of his egress as she warred with herself.

* * *

Damn, but that was good.

It'd been a long time since the world'd last seen the epicness that was Naruto "the prank king" Uzumaki. Screwing with people, out of fun or settling scores, was a science, an art, and Naruto Uzumaki? He was a master.

The king was back!

"Take care of yourself, Goei-chan," he called back teasingly as he closed the door in the wake of destruction he'd left.

To be fair, he wasn't as pervy as his godfather, but he'd come to accept that everyone had those thoughts. It was just the "perverts" who acted on them. He didn't see anything wrong in flirting. It's not like he was in a serious relationship, or any relationship really, with anyone.

* * *

Flustered and frustrated like nothing else, Goei reigned herself in, a dark smile etching itself across her face. "Oh, a challenge is it, Naruto-kun? Fufufufu..." Planning a counterattack of her own for when next they met, she reached within her kimono and pulled out a small, orange colored book.

Heated up as she was, she felt the need for some reading time in the bathtub.

It would take another half an hour before, tiredly perusing the inner cover of the book, that she remembered why the Name Naruto Uzumaki had felt familiar to her. It was him! The one responsible for her new favorite book! He'd been in her home...and she'd let him leave.

She'd let him leave without having him ravage her body!


End file.
